Nonprofit group rescues injured, abandoned animals in Syria

CCTV News

Five years of war has caused immense suffering in Syria. And it’s not just people whose lives have been affected.

Many pets have been abandoned and wounded on the streets.

CCTV’s Xu Dezhi visits a group of people in Damascus who are trying to save them.

Nonprofit group rescues injured, abandoned animals in Syria

Nonprofit group rescues injured, abandoned animals in Syria

Five years of war has caused immense suffering in Syria. And it’s not just people whose lives have been affected. Many pets have been abandoned and wounded on the streets. CCTV’s Xu Dezhi visits a group of people in Damascus who are trying to save them.

Meet Hanadi and the volunteers of the Syrian Team for Animal Rescue, or STAR. They started this non-profit organization in their spare time in May, with this normal garden in the southern Damascus countryside. The goal is to rescue injured and abandoned animals.

Hanadi said that in half a year, they have rescued more than 140 dogs and 200 cats. Some were delivered here because their owners couldn’t afford them anymore. Some were injured in the streets, and some were even hit by bullets. So, when they arrive, the vet has to try to heal them. Some of the cats are so scared of people that they attack the volunteers with their claws.

Sometimes the animals they treat are really in pain from accidents or violence from people and we can get scratched or lightly bitten.

The group suffers from a lack of money and medical supplies. And many people don’t understand why they care about animals at a time like this. But Hanadi said, no matter what people say, their devotion to the animals won’t change.